This weeks headline news 30/10/2016

Former `dead or alive` founder and singer/songwriter, Pete Burns has died at the age of 57 this week. In a statement on twitter on tuesdy, the singers manager confirmed: ‘It is with the greatest sadness that we have to break the tragic news that our beloved Pete Burns of (Dead Or Alive) died suddenly yesterday of a massive cardiac arrest.’ Burns had undergone more than 300 plastic surgeries, many of which had caused numerous health problems. His death comes just days before he was due to release a compilation album with his former band.

Police have revealed that they are not looking for anyone in connection with a house fire which took the lives of a 6-year-old and her 8-year-old brother in Birmingham this week. A man in his 30’s, believed to be the father of the two young children, was found inside a burnt-out-car just hours after the fire and is believed to have torched the home before fleeing. He has since been hospitalised and is said to be in a critical condition however he will be questioned by police officers once he has made a full recovery.

The oldest hotel in the UK has burnt down this Friday after a fire which is thought to have started in a nearby art gallery, spread to the 17th-century building. The Royal Clarence Hotel in Exeter caught alight at around 5am after which,, all guests were evacuated and no-one was hurt. 110 firefighters were bought in to tackle the flames but a large portion of the building collapsed due to the intense heat.

Raymond Gilmour, who became an Royal Ulster Constabulary Special Branch informer when he was just 17, has been found dead at his home in Kent this week. The former super grass’ body was discovered by his 18-year-old son however his death is not being treated as suspicious. Gilmour previously gave evidence against 31 terror suspects and was given a new identity by MI5 after a 1984 trial collapsed. It is thought they he had been suffering with alcoholism and physiological problems for some time.

A British mother-of-two died in front of her horrified family after being thrown from a hot air balloon during a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. Suzanne Astle, 48, from Kenilworth, Warwickshire, was flung out of the hot air balloon’s basket, 20ft from the ground after it was caught on strong winds. Her family were also on board at the time but survived the crash, they have since returned home.

Foreign

Four people have been killed at a theme park in Australia this week after a family ride malfunctioned. Two men and two women died whilst on the river rapids ride at Dreamworld park on Australia’s east coast, after the six-person raft they were seated on, flipped over. Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson said he was not aware of any previous problems with the ride before giving his condolences to the victims families. Local police are continuing to interview witnesses and review CCTV.

A 36-year-old man from Brazil has been freed this week after allegedly being held captive by his parents for at least 20 years. Armando de Andrade was discovered by accident after police searched his home looking for members of drug gangs. Andrade is thought to have been held captive in the basement of his parents home since the age of 16. after they caught him experimenting with alcohol.

Italy has been hit by 2 earthquakes this week, the second time the country has suffered from devastating earthquakes this year. The earthquakes, both 5.5 and 6.1 in magnitude, struck central Italy, just 50 miles north of the same spot that was hit in August this year, killing 300 people. No deaths have been reported as of yet however many homes have been severely damaged.

Australia has this week unveiled strict new plans to ban any asylum seekers who try to reach the country by boat from ever being able to enter the country. The lifelong ban on visas would apply to those travelling as tourists, for business, or who married an Australian and had been sent to Nauru and Manus from 19 July 2013, although children are exempt from this.The proposed ban is to be put to parliament later this week.

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign team has challenged the FBI over its decision to brief US lawmakers on a new inquiry into the Democratic candidate’s email use. Clinton told her supporters that the decision was “deeply troubling”, adding that she is confident the investigation into the emails will not change the FBI’s original finding in July, which criticised her but cleared her of any illegal acts.